SBIR/STTR Research Award
Not Available
Award amount
$70,000Program and phase
SBIR · Phase IAward year
1999Award details
- Awarding agency
- Environmental Protection Agency
- Branch
- Not reported
- Recipient company
- Ceramem Corporation
- Proposal award date
- Not reported
- Contract end date
- Not reported
- UEI
- Not reported
- Solicitation number
- Not reported
- Topic code
- Not reported
Research abstract
Not Available The need for technologies to reduce the cost and time of getting civil and commercial space missions from the drawing board to orbit is driving research efforts towards lighter, cheaper and smaller satellites. As a result of this demand, technologies such as microfabrication technology, which originally emerged as the electronics industry demanded smaller features in integrated circuits, are finding new applications including in space systems. Current microfabrication technologies, however, are limited to use with silicon. This poses problems when considering high temperature applications such as rocket components, as silicon melts at only ~1410 degrees C. TPL Incorporated (TPL) proposes to develop a novel means of fabricating miniaturized digital propulsion components from refractory ceramics such as silicon carbide. The proposed innovation will employ a novel, low-cost process known as Channel Stamping, using preceramic polymers to form the complex shapes. Successful completion of the Phase I effort will demonstrate, for the first time, the ability to fabricate micromachined MEMS devices from refractory, non-oxide ceramics, and will thereby allow micropropulsion components to be operated at higher temperatures, and enable more efficient operation. The proposed effort will exploit TPL's extensive experience in both high temperature materials and ceramic processing using preceramic polymer routes.
Technology keywords
Not reported